Being left out of a friend group does not feel good.

In this story, a woman went out with her coworkers for a birthday celebration and suddenly realized that nobody had invited her other friend. When her friend asked why, her inconsiderate excuses made her friend tear up.

Now, she feels bad and doesn’t know how to fix it.

Read the full story below.

AITA? I tried to apologize and may have made things worse.

My (23M) friend (23F) brought it up to me today that she was upset that a group we both share had gone out without inviting her.

We are both coworkers in a friend group that has been part of the location for a few months now. I’m one of the two newest additions to the friend group and haven’t been fully integrated.

She had shared with me in the past that she has a strict home life and cannot attend some of the hangouts because they often go past 1 a.m., and she needs to be home by 11.

They have stopped inviting the friend due to her limitations on hanging out.

We have been hanging out weekly, and I have been getting more and more integrated.

She has been slowly moving further and further away. According to others in the group, they have tried inviting her, and she has had to miss multiple times due to her strict home life.

Yesterday, the group had all gone out to celebrate the other new person’s birthday, and my friend was absent.

It truly skipped all of our minds to invite her.

Her friend confronted her why she wasn’t invited, but she couldn’t think of a good reason.

She has confided in me that this isn’t the first group this has happened to her with and gave me the reasons they did.

Today, she asked me why they didn’t invite her, and there was little reasoning I could give. The only reasons I did give were nearly the same.

She ended up crying, but I’m unsure if it was directed at me for the reasons I gave or at the fact that the pattern is repeating.

She’s not sure what to do.

I apologized either way and tried to reassure her that we’d invite her next time.

However, it’s significantly later now, and I worry it was my words.

Should I apologize to her directly? Or tell the group that she felt left out and that we should invite her next time?

Nobody wants to be forgotten.

Let’s read other people’s comments about this story on Reddit.

Here’s a valid suggestion.

Here’s a good point from this person.

Some sensible advice.

Another reader chimes in.

And people are showing her some support.

A heartfelt apology is always better than disingenuous excuses.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who was stunned when her friends finally admitted the reason for their falling out.